Decapitation and Boxer Shorts
by demonicdestiel
Summary: Set some time in between 9.02 and 9.09: The Winchesters travel to California to investigate a strange demonic possession that caused a teenager to decapitate several of his friends with a surfboard. While there, they bump into Cas, and several... Memorable moments follow. Based on my headcanon that Cas is hydrophobic. *OFFICIALLY DISCONTINUED/ABANDONED.*
1. Chapter 1

There was a splash as Sam scrambled away from the wave, followed by an obnoxious burst of laughter from his brother, who was standing further up on the beach. They had just been arguing, minutes ago about whether the waves would come up this high on the sand, and Dean, insisting that they would, had just won (and obviously the payment for him being right had been Sam's double soaker).

The Winchesters had come to California for a particularly strange case, which sounded like a possible demonic possession. On this beach, a teenager had decapitated several people; with a surfboard.

"You know, it's been forever since we've taken a trip like this," Dean said, still grinning at his younger sibling. "Did Dad ever even take us to the beach...?"

Taking off his soaked shoes and socks, Sam looked up, thinking back. "Yeah. Well, technically. That one time, when we went to Florida in '90; how old were you... Eleven? Anyways he took us to go check out that cursed object case. We went without him knowing. But it was rainy and cold and the middle of October, so I wouldn't go swimming."

"Oh yeah!" Dean laughed, "We snuck away while he was out interrogating. You sat there and complained with a hotel towel over your head the whole time I swam... Didn't I lose my boxers?"

Sam made a face, "Yeah, you did... And you were sitting beside me on the beach complaining at the end of the day too."

Dean frowned, trying to remember more on the topic as he sidestepped to avoid another wave.

They had walked almost the entire way across the beach, to one of the victims' mother's house when a strong hand grasped Dean's shoulder. He whirled around, his hand already resting on his gun, but visibly relaxed when he realized who it had been.

"Cas, I've told you a hundred times man, don't sneak up on me..." He felt his heart rate steady, and he dropped his hand back down at his side.

The angel-gone-human looked extremely distressed, and he began walking briskly in the opposite direction, his long grey suit-jacket overcoat swirling and billowing around his ankles. Dean ran after him, just catching the end of his sentence. "-thing doing this is not just any demon."

"Hang on; Cas what the hell is going on? What are you talking about?" Dean said, trying to stay calm. If Castiel was worried about this thing, it was definitely worse than they'd thought.

He turned around, staring Dean directly in the eyes. "You should go." His gaze was intense, and it was becoming harder for the human to return it.

Sam jogged up to them, looking confused. "What's up Cas?" He glanced briefly at Dean, an unidentifiable look on his face, before turning back to Cas and asking, "How did you find us?"

"It wasn't intentional. You both need to leave; now. I'll take care of this."

"No Cas-"

"Dean." Cas cut him off angrily, sending him a glare that clearly said, _'back off'_.

Sighing, Dean lowered his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Sam, give us a minute."

The younger Winchester nodded, and began to walk further up the beach. Dean waited until his brother was a fair distance from them, and then whirled around to face Cas. "Are you mental?! Dude, you're human now, just like Sammy and I; you can't just go around hunting these things and pretending you know what you're doing. You're gonna get yourself killed!" He began pacing back and forth, feeling his shoes sink into the soft sand. "Why can't you just let us help you? Let me help you... I mean the amount of shit we've gone up against... We faced fucking Lucifer; what could be more dangerous than that?!"

"Dean, it's not about that." Cas said, quietly but firmly, his brow knitting together as he frowned slightly. "I just want to do this one thing on my own. I-I need to do some good to make up for... My most recent actions, as they can't be undone..." He trailed off.

Dean hesitated a moment before replying, "I understand how you feel. But Cas, you gotta be more careful. Call us if you're gonna do something crazy like this, geez..." He sat down on the sand wearily, folding his arms across his knees. "Just... Learn how to ask for help, okay?"

"I'll try, Dean."

There was a long silence as the two men stared out across the vast ocean. It was a pleasant silence, filled with the calming sound of waves and the odd seagull cry.

The first to break the silence was Dean, who said, "So uh, what is this thing anyways?" He looked up at the fallen angel, and studied his blank expression carefully. His face had fallen slightly after Dean had brought up the case, but otherwise had remained as stoic and unreadable as ever. "Demon? Something new maybe?"

With a small sigh of resignation, Castiel replied, "It's a _type_ of demon, yes. This particular one likes to travel through the water to possess humans. It's..." He looked up for a moment, evidently trying to find the right words to describe it.

"Like a leviathan-demon hybrid?" Dean offered with a grimace. He hated the thought of something like that existing. If the thing ever got into the water supply...

Cas' gaze fell on Dean again as he nodded slowly and said, "Yes. Sort of like that. Though it's very rare and it also, apparently doesn't devour its victims."

"Well that's a plus..." Dean grunted.

"There's hardly any information or lore on it at all. I spent two days researching, and even with my extensive knowledge of the supernatural, I don't know too much about it." Cas added, finally sitting down on the beach beside Dean and smoothing out his suit.

Dean shrugged. "If we can find the son of a bitch, we can exorcise it. That's all I can think of right now. Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?"

Cas shook his head sheepishly. "No, I figured I would find a shelter, or an alley to sleep in. It's not as bad as you think."

"Sammy and I already booked a room. When we're done here, you can come stay with us. We'll figure something out." Dean said, standing up and brushing off his pants. He glanced over at Sam standing in the water up to his ankles, holding his shoes in his left hand and his pant legs in his right.

"Dean, no I-"

He held out his hand to Cas to help him up. "I'm not taking no for an answer. Come on, Sam's starting to look like he's stuck in one of those cheesy romantic chick flicks."


	2. Chapter 2

Dean turned the door handle and swung the door inwards, holding it open for Sam and Cas.

"So," Said Dean, closing the door behind him, "Cas, you can take one of the beds, and I'll sleep on the couch. Get your shit in here and then we can figure out what's going on with this demon."

"I can sleep on the couch, Dean."

"Cas listen, I'm _letting_ you have the bed to yourself, so just... Shut up." Dean said with a sigh. He waited a moment before failing to hold back a smirk and adding, "Or I'll knock you out and drag you over there myself."

"Dean..." Sam warned.

"You know I won't let you get your way." He said to Cas, Ignoring Sam completely.

Castiel shook his head slowly. "You're a stubborn ass, Dean Winchester."

A laugh, poorly masked by a fake cough, came from Sam at Cas' comment.

Sending a half entertained, half annoyed look at his brother, Dean mused, "You just realized that? Come on, we gotta figure this demon out."

* * *

Three hours or so later, the trio still sat around the coffee table, Sam with his eyes glued to his laptop screen, Castiel thoroughly checking what had to be his hundredth book this evening, and Dean... Well right now he was nodding off in the (somewhat) comfortable chair in the corner, but he had read through the police reports earlier. So far they hadn't found anything outstandingly useful about this rare water-demon, but they'd managed to learn a bit more about the incident itself, and its other killings - and of course, had also managed to frustrate themselves immensely - The three victims that had been murdered a few days ago were all good friends of the teen who had been possessed, and all three had been decapitated by his surfboard. They had all been surfing, until one of the other members of their party who had been on the beach at the time, (And was incidentally the only other surviving witness to the attack) had called them out of the water for a break and some lunch. As they ran up on the beach... Well, you get the picture.

"Ugh... I can't find anything else. I'm gonna call it a night." Sam said, powering down his laptop and stretching out his arms.

"Goodnight Sam." Cas said with a smile and a nod.

"Mmhm..." Dean mumbled sleepily.

After Sam left, Cas went back to studying his book while Dean pretended to read over the police report again, even though he just didn't especially want to have to read anything else. Everything was quiet and productive on Cas' part until Dean came up with an idea.

"Hey Cas," He said, "What if we retraced that kid's steps?"

Castiel looked up, confusion plain on his face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we could check out the water there. Go surfing and shit." Even though he tried to sound indifferent, Cas could tell that Dean was excited about the prospect of going to the beach.

"Y-yes I guess that would be a good place to start..." He replied hesitantly. "But is it wise to-"

"Come on Cas! It'll help us with the case!" Dean interrupted, not bothering to stifle his growing excitement.

"I'm not sure I would be comfortable with that Dean..." Cas mumbled, averting his eyes quickly.

A flash of confusion crossed Dean's face, and he cocked his head to the side. "What? Why not?" He tossed the stack of papers he was holding onto the coffee table and sat up in his chair. "You think it's too risky?"

"N-no, I just... I can't..." He trailed off, blush spreading across his cheeks.

Smirking now, Dean pushed, "You can't what?"

"I can't swim." The former angel deadpanned, burying his face in his hands embarrassed. "It's... Well it's ridiculous, isn't it? An angel, a celestial being, who can't swim... I've had all the time in the world to figure it out and..." He sighed.

Dean just stared at him, slightly confused with his weird outburst. "Uh, Cas it's not that weird. I mean, it's not like you're the only person in the world who doesn't know how to swim." He chuckled quietly. "I didn't know how to swim until I was at least... Well, probably six or seven? It's not a big deal, man."

Cas rubbed the back of his neck, still blushing a little. He still felt embarrassed about his inability to swim, but Dean didn't think too much of it, which made him feel a bit better.

"You know," Dean added, "Sammy and I could teach you how to swim tomorrow. It's not too hard to learn. Just a lot of floating basically."

"Oh no, please don't tell Sam. It's bad enough with you knowing, Dean." Cas blurted. He looked like he was about to explode.

Dean shrugged. "Alright then. I won't tell Sam. But _I'm_ still going to teach you."

Cas nodded, and Dean smiled at him, relaxing back into his chair again. "I guess we should do it tomorrow night then, if you don't want my little bro to know." He checked his watch, and said, "Holy shit, it's almost 2 am... You gonna stay up a bit longer?"

Cas shook his head. "No, I don't think these books are going to be any help. I might as well... Sleep." Even after saying it multiple times since becoming human, it still sounded strange coming from his own mouth. It was so... _Human_.

"Alright," Dean said shortly, "Well g'night Cas."

As Cas opened the door to the bedroom, he hesitated, turning back for a minute and looking at his friend, before muttering a quick, "Thank you, Dean." And closing the door behind him. He hadn't thought that he had heard him, but Dean was grinning as he flopped down on the couch with a quiet _thump_. Cas could be such a dork.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for the short chapters so far! I promise the next ones will be longer. So tell me what you guys think... How is it so far...? Oh, and next chapter will be Cas' swimming lesson, so stay tuned! ;p_


	3. Chapter 3

The next day went by slowly, and besides Sam going to the local library to find out if they had any useful books on this specific demon (which was unlikely), and Dean and Cas going to talk to one witness, was pretty uneventful. They had learned little, since the witness' account was already taken down in the police report, and Sam only ended up checking out one book. So when they went back to their hotel room at the end of the day, there wasn't any real discussion or "study session" to have.

"I don't see any other real solution to this than finding the damn thing and exorcizing it." Dean argued, taking off his jacket and tie and tossing them onto the couch.

"Yeah, but we have no idea where it would be!" Sam exclaimed, explaining this to Dean for the hundredth time today. "You can't just expect to find it hanging out at that same beach, Dean; you have to realize that it moves around. I understand you wanna get this over with, but seriously, you might want to think it over a bit first."

Dean groaned, "I _have _thought this over! We're kind of running out of options here, Sam!"

"Would you two quit yelling and settle this like grown men?" Cas interjected angrily. He'd put up with their fighting for an hour already, but he was starting to get a headache, which was making him more than a little impatient.

The Winchesters were silenced, and Cas sighed. "I need an aspirin..." He sat down on the couch and slung his arm across his forhead. "I never realized how painful mortality could be."

Sitting down beside him, Sam held out a glass of water and two pills. "Yeah, it's no cakewalk." He laughed, then asked, "Just out if curiosity; how many times have you had to take aspirin since you lost your grace, anyways?"

"Thankfully, only once before; well, I could have taken it a lot more than that, but while I was on the run I didn't have access to it very often..." He popped one of the pills in his mouth and took a swig of water.

Sam nodded thoughtfully, leaning back and putting his feet up on the coffee table. He wondered what Cas had gone through, all by himself in a strange environment, and with all of his new human needs. How he'd gotten through it on his own.

They spent an hour channel surfing and chatting, before Sam got up and announced with a yawn that he was going to bed. "I think the heat's getting to me. I dunno why, but I'm really tired." He'd said before turning in for the night.

Now, nearly an hour later, Cas stood looking out over the ocean, amazed at how there was seemingly no boundary between water and sky. It was especially beautiful tonight with the moon shining across the vast expanse of water. All things considered though, Cas was exceedingly nervous.

"So Cas," Dean's voice was a low whisper, barely audible, even though he stood right beside him. "You ready to learn how to swim?" He was smiling again, Cas noted.

"Ready as I'll ever be." He grunted.

Dean stripped down to his boxers, hiding the demon knife underneath his jacket and tossing the bundle of clothing onto the sand. He had decided not to bring his gun in case it got gummed up and ruined with sand, but the hunter would never have abandoned _all_ of his weapons in case of an attack. He looked over his shoulder at Cas, who was still standing staring out at the water.

"You okay?" He asked quietly. The smile he wore had vanished as soon as he noticed Cas' expression.

"No. But I'll do it anyways."

Dean frowned. "You don't have to do this, Cas." If he had known this would make him as uncomfortable as he was now, he would never have even suggested it. Sometimes he forgot that Cas wasn't the flawless, fearless warrior that he had first perceived him as.

"I _want_ to, Dean." He replied firmly. Taking a deep breath, he began unbuttoning his shirt, feeling the salty breeze on his exposed torso.

He finished undressing and walked slowly to the water's edge. Dean grabbed his shoulder, squeezing it tightly; a reassurance and a non-verbal promise that he would be there by his side helping him.

"You sure you're ready for this?" It was strange to hear such sincere concern in Dean's voice.

Castiel closed his eyes for a minute, mentally preparing himself. "Yes."

"On three then." He breathed.

"One..."

Cas felt Dean's hand drop off his shoulder, and he shivered as the warmth seeped out of him. Despite his words just seconds ago, he was not at _all_ ready.

"Two..."

His stomach flipped. In desperation, he reached for Dean's hand. The angel felt momentary reassurance when their fingers intertwined, and some of the weight lifted off of his chest. He tried breathing normally again.

"Three."

Cas' heart thudded in his chest. Dean pulled him into the chilly water by his hand, and his anxiety returned with a vengeance.

"We have to go out deep enough, Cas, so just hang on to me and try to calm down a little okay?"

There was no reply from Castiel. He was afraid that he would sink if he let his breath out.

Dean slowed his pace when they were a few feet from the shore; it was just far enough that the waves wouldn't wash them in now. He turned to Cas, his eyes shining in the moonlight. "Breathe normally Cas. It'll help."

His grip on Dean's hand tightened, but he took a few hesitant, shaky breaths.

Nodding in approval, Dean walked him out a bit further, so that the water was up to their armpits. He could see how nervous Cas was, and he wondered about the possibility of if he would be able to carry him through the water. But, he realized, that would never help Cas overcome his fear. So he continued on, whispering reassurances to his friend as he went. It hurt him to see Castiel this vulnerable and scared.

They stopped again when the water was up to their necks. Cas looked completely terrified now, but Dean offered him a small smile, which he returned halfheartedly. Dean began instructing Cas gently, telling him to try floating. "Just lift your feet like this." He said, demonstrating, and treading water with one hand, the other still occupied by Cas'.

"Dean... Dean I c-can't..." He whimpered.

"Yeah you can. I'll help you, Cas, but you gotta trust me. Just try."

He made a strangled noise as a wave lifted him off the ground, and Dean had to stifle a laugh. "See, that's all you gotta do. Just lift your feet off the ground!"

Castiel's hair was all plastered to his forehead now; the wave had splashed him in the face, and he was starting to shiver. He almost looked like a little kid that had just gotten off their first roller coaster. Scared to death, but putting on a brave face for the sake of not looking like a complete wuss.

"D'you want to take a break...?" Dean asked after a few minutes, noting how blue Cas' lips were.

Gritting his teeth, Cas nodded. He hated to give up so soon, but he was shivering badly now, and was feeling a bit nauseous.

They managed to get back to shore without any other major incidents, and Dean patted Cas on the back affectionately. "You did good..." He smiled, "I think I just pushed you too hard, that's all."

Castiel all but collapsed onto the beach. "I still feel like I'm in the water..." He said dazedly.

"That's normal," Dean chuckled, "I still feel like that if it's wavy enough."

Dean sat down beside Cas and pulled his knees up to his chest, looking over at him. The fallen angel sat with his arms wrapped around himself. Dean sent him an apologetic look, but he seemed not to notice. It was silent again, the only sound that could be heard between the calming crash of waves, was Cas' teeth chattering.

Cas pulled in his knees to his chest - mirroring Dean - resting his chin on top of them and had just begun to watch the waves again when he spoke quietly. "You wanted to swim so badly... And I ruined it..."

Dean reached over and ruffled his salty, wet hair affectionately. "You didn't ruin anything Cas. I'm impressed you stayed out there that long in the first place. Sure, I wanted to swim, but I wanted to properly teach you how first. Don't beat yourself up over this..." He gave him a reassuring smile, and this time, Cas returned it gratefully.

"I appreciate it nonetheless. I never thought in a million years that a human would teach _me_ anything..." He laughed then, but it sounded a bit forced. "Ah, I have to stop thinking of us as two different species... We're both human now."

Cas leaned against Dean's back and closed his eyes, calmed by the steady rhythm of his breathing. "You know," Dean mumbled, "Angels and humans... They aren't all _that_ different."

"There's a huge difference." Cas whispered. "I like being human, Dean... It's so vastly different from what I'm used to; I can really feel emotions now. Fear, anger, pain, loss... Happiness, and admiration and _love_. The good and the bad alike; and it just feels incredible. To be able to understand you all; why you seem to make the stupidest, most irrational decisions at times... It's just completely _incredible_." There was such an intense passion in his voice, Dean realized for the first time, how much Cas had changed. He hadn't changed in appearance or mannerism so much as he had altered his view of humanity. He truly understood now, instead of feeling the "pre-programmed" love for humans that he had been taught as an angel.

"Incredible..." Dean repeated. He knew lots of incredible things, but none that he could think of stemmed from his humanity. "_You_ are incredible. Angels... Their power and immortality..."

Sighing and closing his eyes, Cas began speaking quietly, "I understand why angels choose to fall now." He shifted closer and pressed his entire back to Dean's, his forehead resting on the nape of the hunter's neck. "Why they go through that immense pain of ripping out their grace; their very essence... It's worth it. Becoming human... The only thing that angels have is, as you said, their physical strength and immortality; but mortals have... Everything. It feels like a blessing, Dean. A second chance for me." He smiled serenely.

"You really think it's that amazing being human, huh...?"

"Absolutely."

Dean smiled at Castiel's stubborn, yet somehow admirable certainty. It was just like him to feel so strongly about something like this.

"Dean," Cas whispered, feeling a shiver run down his spine, "Maybe we should go back now."

With a nod of silent agreement from Dean, Cas got up and tried to get the worst of the sand off his boxers. "I am, really very sorry I ended up wasting your time, Dean." He said seriously, "I guess I'm just no use on this case after all."

Dean shrugged, "It's fine Cas, you did awesome anyways. Can't exactly expect you to pick it up _that_ quickly."

They had dried off enough that they were able to get dressed again, but Dean hoped to God that Sam wouldn't ask where all the sand had come from. "For the record Cas," Dean muttered, looking away from him awkwardly, "I uh... I like you more as a human. Not that I really like you that much in the first place, since you always seem to have that stick shoved up your ass, but..."

Castiel's smile widened as Dean finished his sentence. "Well _for the record_ then," He mocked, "I like you better _when_ I'm human too. Well, you know, I can actually _tell_ that I like you now."

Laughing now, Dean slapped Cas on the back and slung his jacket over his shoulder. "Good to know...!" He turned and started walking back to the impala, grinning widely. Dean could hear Cas' muffled footsteps behind him, and began to walk backwards instead, waiting for him to catch up.

"Dean," Cas started, as soon as he was close enough, "Would you mind if we did this again tomorrow night...? I know what to expect now, so I think I'd be able to get it if we just had a few more lessons."

Dean chuckled as he unlocked the door of the impala. "Yeah sure Cas. If you aren't as freaked as you were before, we've made more progress than I thought." He walked around to the driver's side and got in.

Both doors slammed and Dean stuck the keys in the ignition, but didn't turn it on right away.

"Dean...?" Castiel's voice broke through yet another of their awkward silences.

"I... Cas, I... I want to help you. Just... Just know you can come to me for help with anything; not only if you can't swim, or if you want to investigate something like this, but if you, I dunno, need help with something big, like getting you grace back, or if you... Wanna get with a chick... Or... A _dude_ or... Just if you need help with anything." Dean spluttered, his cheeks turning crimson.

Cas nodded, his face blank.

"Okay..." Dean breathed, finally turning the key, "Well, anyways, do up your seatbelt." He stared out the window, trying to put off looking back to the fallen angel for as long as possible. He waited for the telltale click of the seatbelt, but it never came.

Then he heard it.

"Cas?" He said softly, looking to his right. Something was wrong. Had he said something...?

When Cas looked up, his eyes were shining with tears. "I... I'm crying, aren't I...?"

Dean's eyes were wide as he watched, clearly shocked. He had never seen Cas act like this. "Yeah."

Castiel laughed awkwardly and wiped his eyes on the back of his hand. "I don't..." He shook his head and sniffed quietly. "I have no idea why..."

Dean continued to stare in disbelief. "You're sure you're okay...?"

Shaking his head again, Cas replied, "No... I don't know what's wrong with me."

At a loss for words, the hunter unbuckled his seatbelt and turned off the car again. "Is it what I said...?" He asked softly.

A tear slid down his cheek, and Cas bit his lip. "I can't place all these emotions... It's new to me, Dean. I think maybe it's... Happiness. A little part must be humiliation. Admiration. _Gratefulness_. I'm just so... I was the one to rescue you so long ago, and now I've finally realized that it was you who saved _me_, Dean. Not just with this whole incident, I mean in general... I've never had anyone I could really trust or rely on. But you're so..." He trailed off, and Dean knew he had started crying again. "I'm so overwhelmed right now, I'm sorry..."

Dean reached over and pulled him into his chest, holding him tightly. He rested his chin on the crown of Cas' head and muttered, "It's okay Cas..."

Cas buried his face into Dean, gripping the back of his jacket tightly. He whispered apologies into Dean's shirt, but the hunter brushed them off, countering each one with his own mumbled, "It's okay."

When Cas had calmed down, Dean held him at arm's length and looked into his bright cerulean eyes, still wet with tears. Out of impulse, he leaned in and pressed his lips against Cas' forehead.

As Dean pulled away, a light blush crept onto his cheeks. Castiel stared at him intensely, feeling his own cheeks heat up. '_Dean thinks of me like a brother... I'm sure this is how he and Sam show affection and comfort each other all the time...'_ he told himself, willing his heart to slow down. Why was it beating so fast anyways? He felt the emotion that he couldn't quite place surface again and he clutched the front of his shirt, placing his hand directly over his heart; it was beating even faster that he had realized. "Sorry," Dean mumbled, "I guess that was unnecessary... I'm just... It's late. We should really go back now." He glanced at his watch. "Almost 1 o'clock..."

Cas nodded, looking more than a little spaced out.

Dean turned the key again and the impala roared to life.


	4. Chapter 4

The drive was spent in silence with only the radio playing quietly as a distraction from their thoughts. Cas absentmindedly traced the lines in the palm of his hand, staring ahead of him at the lock on the glove box. Dean kept his eyes on the road for the most part, but he occasionally caught himself glancing over at Cas.

He reached over and turned up the radio a little, hoping it would help to take his mind off of the angel riding shotgun.

_Heaven's gates won't open up for me,_

_with these broken wings I'm fallin',_

_all I see is you..._

_These city walls 'aint got no love for me,_

_I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story,_

_all, I scream for you..._

_Come, please, I'm callin'..._

_And all I need from you..._

_Hurry, I'm fallin', I'm fallin'..._

_Show me what its like,_

_to be the last one standing,_

_and teach me wrong from right,_

_and I'll show you what I can be,_

_then say if for me, say it to me,_

_and I'll leave this life behind me,_

_say it if it's worth savin' me,_

_hurry, I'm fallin'..._

"I like this song." Cas mumbled, still staring ahead of him. He looked a lot less tense than before, and Dean could see him tapping the tips of his fingers on the armrest to the beat of the chorus.

"Have you heard it before...?" Dean inquired, suddenly curious.

Castiel shook his head. "No... But I like it. It's... Pleasant."

Chuckling, Dean turned it up a little more and looked over at Cas for a minute and saying, "Pretty sure it's an old Nickelback song. Not really my kind of music, but it's a nice change."

_Say it for me, say it to me,_

_and I'll leave this life behind me,_

_say it if it's worth savin' me..._

Dean pulled into the motel parking lot and turned off the impala, which gave a quiet shudder as it cooled down. He stood up and slammed the car door behind him, his legs aching after the half hour drive.

"C'mon Cas, we better get inside before Sammy realizes we were gone." The hunter rummaged around in his multiple hidden pockets, looking for the motel room key.

"You didn't lose it; did you...?" Castiel said exasperatedly, coming up behind him.

Dean grimaced and double checked his pockets. "I think I might've... It might be in the impala... If we're really lucky."

The key wasn't in there either, much to Dean's dismay.

"We could just knock on the door." Cas suggested half-heartedly. "It's not exactly ideal..."

Dean nodded. "But, we have to choose between either waking up Sam, which would most likely be the death of us - You know how Sam is when he gets woken up, after all - or waiting outside until morning; which would be uncomfortable, _and_ dangerous. I guess we don't really have any other options."

You could almost picture the cartoon light bulbs above their heads as they looked at each other and whispered, "the impala!" in sync.

Dean cleared his throat before saying, "Well, I don't want any knowledge of this leaking out though. Got that?" He yanked his car keys out of his jeans pocket and unlocked the driver's side again. "Geez," He muttered to himself, "These keys are gonna smash to pieces from all the damn locking and unlocking, and turning on and off they've done today..."

The hunter and the fallen angel ducked into the impala, Dean feeling a little ridiculous at having to sleep in his car, _right outside_ of his motel room.

Cas pulled his door shut and looked to Dean. "How do you sleep sitting up?"

With an exasperated sigh, Dean mumbled, "It's gonna be a really long night..."

* * *

Sam was understandably concerned when he woke up to find that neither his brother nor Castiel were anywhere to be found. He had just gone outside to make his way to the front desk when he noticed the impala parked in front of the door; two parking spaces away from where it had been last night. What the hell...? He thought as he made his way around the car. It didn't seem to be damaged...

The hunter came around and looked through the windshield, letting out a snort of amusement. He reached inside the car through the driver's side window and honked the horn loudly, a devious grin on his face.

A surprised yelp could be heard over the blaring of the car horn, and Sam burst out laughing at Dean's confusion. "Th' hell Sammy...?!" He slurred. As he lifted his arm to rub his eyes, Cas, who had previously been sleeping on his shoulder, fell into his lap, somehow still asleep, even after the cacophony of noises.

Sam's laughing doubled, and Dean's cheeks grew red as he nudged the angel. "Come on Cas, you're making this even more awkward..." No matter how hard Dean shook him, however, he refused to wake up.

Eventually, he resorted to pushing him directly off of him and over onto the seat which incidentally woke him up. Cas sat up abruptly, looking around him. When he saw that there was no supernatural being threatening them, he yawned and mumbled, "I must have fallen asleep... I guess our activities last night must have made me more tired than I thought."

Dean whipped his head around to his brother, only to see him standing with wide eyes and a slack jaw. "You..."

"No, no, NO...! Sam no, we didn't...! How could you even think...!? Fuck, Sam, no, it's not what you think...!" Dean finished breathlessly.

Cas blinked slowly and asked confusedly, "Does he think we had sex?"

Dean let out a strangled cry and buried his face in his hands, sinking down into his seat. Sam could see that the tips of his ears were deep crimson.

"Dean was just-"

"Cas, for the love of God, shut the hell up." Dean cut him off, his words muffled by his hands.

"But I-"

"Cas. Don't make this worse..." His tone was becoming pleading, and he sank lower into his seat.

Sam, who was still standing with his mouth hanging open like an idiot, shook his head slowly, dragged himself over to the curb and sat down. "You could have at least..." He trailed off, staring down at the ground.

With a groan, Dean opened the door and walked over to Sam, grabbing his arm and pulling him back towards the motel room. "Just come on..."

Cas reluctantly followed after them, knowing he had just done something extremely embarrassing.

As he approached the door, he could hear Dean's raised voice desperately shouting, "...Just a burger run, for God's sake!" Cas shut the door carefully and plopped down on the couch beside Sam.

"So you slept outside in your car? With Cas? Why'd you wake him up...?" Sam asked, still looking extremely skeptical.

Realizing that Dean was out of ideas, Cas offered, "I woke him up, Sam, and told him I was hungry... Dean was um... Less than happy to be woken up, but he agreed anyways."

Sam pursed his lips and looked back to Dean. "So then why'd you decide to sleep in the impala?" He inquired, still not convinced.

"We left the room key at the restaurant." Cas spoke up again.

Running a hand through his hair, Sam continued his interrogation brusquely, "And you didn't call me or knock because...?"

"You know how you get when someone wakes you up unnecessarily." Dean said matter of factly.

Sam sighed in defeat. "I guess that's true."

"So you believe us...?"

The younger Winchester nodded. "Yeah... Just, if there ever is a next time, leave me a note or something would you? I thought you'd been freakin' kidnapped. Scared me half to death..."

"Sorry..." Dean and Cas said simultaneously.

"Oh man, it's starting to sound like I'm nagging now isn't it..." Sam said with a grimace.

"A bit."

* * *

_**A/N: HOLY CRAP the attention this story is getting is crazy! Love you guys! *Hugs* Anyways, thank you so much to my four reviewers, K-Y-L-EH-E, TMK13, nani'anela, and Wilhelm Wigworthy! Glad you guys liked it. I have two more chapters queued and one in the works, but I'm pretty busy with school right now, so I may be updating a teensy bit slower than normal.**_


	5. Chapter 5

They had decided to take the day off after Cas had fallen asleep not once, but _twice_ while they had been out collecting information on the strange demon case. Now, Sam and Dean were left alone, Cas still sleeping in the bedroom. Sam, of course, was engrossed by his laptop, but Dean lazily flipped through channels, hoping for some daytime television that wouldn't make him want to gouge his eyes out.

Clearing his throat, Sam looked over at his brother. "He sure seems tired from your _'burger run'_ last night."

Dean kept his eyes fixed on the T.V. "Shut up."

"You sure there's nothing between you?"

"Yes, Sam. Can we drop it?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Sam placated. "But you don't think it could be one sided-"

"I said, _drop it_." Dean cut him off, gritting his teeth and mashing the buttons on the T.V. remote harder than necessary.

The door to the bedrooms swung open with a soft creak, and Cas stepped out, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

Sam had to hold back his laughter at his dishevelled hair. "You slept like a rock."

With a yawn, Cas asked, "How long was I asleep?" He dragged himself over to the sofa and dropped down onto it.

"I dunno. What time is it Dean?"

Sighing, Dean looked as his watch, the channel stopping on some shopping network while he did so. "4:18. So you were asleep for just about 3 hours."

Cas groaned. "I thought I'd slept longer... I can handle the emotions, and the pain and hunger that come with being human, but fatigue is definitely something I could do without..." He leaned back against the couch and rubbed his temples.

Dean smirked. "Yeah it's a bit of a setback." He went back to channel surfing, his attitude improved just slightly.

"You know, I think I'll go get more beer. You guys need anything while I'm out?" Sam asked, grabbing the keys to the impala from the counter.

"Nothing comes to mind at the moment." Cas mumbled.

Dean paused on a half decent looking reality show. "Nah."

"Alright," Came Sam's voice from the closet-sized kitchen, "Try not to fall asleep on each other while I'm gone."

Dean rolled his eyes at Sam's taunt. He clearly wasn't going to forget his and Cas' awkward moment anytime soon.

He heard the impala's engine revving, and hoped to god Sam would be _exceedingly_ careful with his baby.

"I don't understand what's going on in this television program at all, Dean..." Cas muttered, a very confused look on his face.

There were multiple young couples living in one house; the main focus at the moment, seemed to be on two men. "I dunno. Looks kinda stupid anyways. You want me to change the channel?"

Cas shook his head, staring at the screen. "No, not yet, I want to try and figure this out."

The aforementioned men had just gotten into a very heated argument and looked like they were ready to throw punches. _"I can't believe you slept with Claire!"_ One guy said, the camera zooming dramatically in to his face. _"I trusted you, and you went and slept with my sister!"_ The camera swung shakily over to the other guy's face, showing a close up of his eyes for a minute.

_"I..."_ He started,_ "You slept with Jamie! It was payback, Damien!"_

Dean snorted. "This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever-"

"Shh!" Cas scolded, leaning closer to the T.V.

_"I just... Jamie reminded me so much of you, Hayden..."_ The one young guy was now standing really close to his friend; a little too close, Dean thought. It was starting to look like they would...

The taller guy, Hayden, leaned in and started kissing Damien passionately, the camera zooming in slowly on their interlocked mouths.

Dean sat back in the chair with a groan. "Now that's just disgusting." He glanced over at Cas, who was still practically glued to the screen.

"If they truly love each other there's nothing wrong with it." Cas mumbled flatly.

"I didn't mean..." Dean faltered, "I just meant that the cameras shouldn't have... Never mind."

The scene cut away to a commercial, and Cas relaxed, his shoulders slouching. "You can change it now." He said, his eyes trailing down to the floor. He waited for the click of the remote, but instead heard Dean's suppressed laughter.

"What was that all about?" He asked with another small chuckle.

Cas cocked his head slightly. "What do you mean?"

"You." Dean said simply. "You were totally... Weird with that." He tossed the remote to Cas, who caught it in midair with an elegance only he could manage.

"They'd both been shot." Cas answered quietly.

Dean made a face, keeping his eyes locked on Cas. "What?"

"By Cupid's arrow." Cas poked a few buttons curiously, accidentally changing the input.

"You could tell that?"

"Oh yes. There are a few main ways to tell, you simply have to know how to look for them. Anyways, before Sam gets back, we need to discuss what we're doing tonight." There was a sudden silence, as he had finally located the power button. "Would you be willing to continue teaching me...?"

The hunter smiled in spite of himself. "Yeah Cas, if you're up for it. Just, let's make sure this time to not lose the extra key?"

Cas nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "Maybe I should be in charge of that then."

The front door swung open with a loud _bang_ and Sam sauntered in with two cases of beer, and a pie stacked precariously on top. Dean's face lit up as he noticed the delicious pastry, and he wasted no time running to "help" Sam.

"You remembered the pie!" He exclaimed, a huge grin on his face.

"Yep. It's apple. Last one in the store." Sam yelled, his head practically stuck inside the tiny bar fridge. "You owe me; I had to fight off an old lady for that. Probably gave her a heart attack too..."

"Ah Sammy... Always with the older women... Seems like you have a soft spot for 'em, huh?" Dean teased, picking up his precious pie and dipping his finger in the filling.

Cas appeared around the corner, sending a disapproving glance at Dean and his pie tasting antics.

Sam stood up, accidentally hitting his head on the top of the fridge, cursing loudly as he did so. "You have your preferences, I have mine." He smirked.

Scowling at his brother, Dean took his pie into the other room. "You're just lucky you bought pie..." Cas heard him mumble around a mouthful of pastry.

"I think you angered him, Sam." The angel said solemnly.

"Then my job here is done."

* * *

_**A/N: Oops... This is shorter than I wanted it to be... And a bit of a filler chapter, so sorry about that... Thank you again to my reviewers! I really, REALLY appreciate the positive feedback, as well as the constructive criticism. :p I'll try to make the best of your suggestions in future chapters (though I'm currently writing chapter 7 so...) Again, sorry for the length, but I hope you guys liked it and will R&R! :3**_


	6. Chapter 6

"Dean," Sam's voice was strange as he grabbed his brother's shoulder. "We need to talk... Alone." He glanced over at Cas, who was staring intently at the T.V.

The older Winchester looked up from his spot on the worn armchair; "Sure," he whispered back, standing and stretching his arms. "Something wrong?"

He didn't reply until they were both in the bedroom, out of Cas' earshot. "How long is he staying with us?"

It clicked in Dean's head then, that it wasn't his brother speaking. "I don't know. Until we solve this case? Why is it such an issue?" Dean could feel himself getting angry, and since he didn't want to piss off the angel that was keeping Sam alive any further, he sighed and added, "It won't be much longer."

"I know how close you and Castiel are, Dean," Ezekiel said slowly, "But you have to understand what kind of position this leaves me in. If anyone were to find out about-"

"Yeah, yeah I know man. I got it. But I still don't see how hanging around Cas endangers you _that much_. You know what, I don't even care. I'll tell him to leave in a couple days if he isn't gone by then." He exhaled deeply and put his hand on the doorknob. "We done?"

"Yes." Was the angel's curt reply.

"Good."

**LINEBREAK**

Cas stepped out of the impala and immediately felt the warmth seeping out of him. It was a cool night, and with the wind, it appeared that it would be a pretty bad time to swim. The ocean looked dark and foreboding, and Cas was _not_ looking forward to braving the water tonight.

He shivered and started towards the beach, not bothering to wait up for Dean.

"Geez, it'll have to be a quick lesson tonight..."Dean remarked, tugging his jacket closed. He watched Cas jogging across the beach, and Sam's words echoed back to him. _"You sure there's nothing between you?"_ He shook his head, trying to clear his mind, and followed Castiel's lead.

By the time he had caught up, Cas had already stripped down to his boxers, and was waiting at the water's edge. "Let's get this over with." He mumbled, staring down at the sand.

Dean gave him a reassuring smile and took his hand. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

There was a brief gap in between the waves, and Dean rushed in, pulling Cas along behind him. The water was freezing, and they both shivered as they fought against the strong current, wind whipping against their faces.

"Dean-!" Cas yelled just before the grip he had on Dean's hand slipped, and he felt himself being dragged under the water. He struggled for breath, in the precious few seconds he had managed to surface, gasping and coughing, and he prayed that Dean would get to him before he drowned. He thought he could hear Dean calling out to him before he felt himself losing consciousness, his vision fading to black.

**LINEBREAK**

"Where the hell are you Cas?!" Dean yelled frantically, diving through another huge wave. "_Fuck, fuck, fuck..._" He chanted repeatedly, angry with himself for thinking it has been calm enough for Cas.

His mind reeled as he searched for the angel desperately. "CAS!" He screamed, the salt water making it difficult to keep his eyes open. Dean had almost given up when he noticed the dark mass floating a few feet in front of him.

The hunter's breathing was ragged and came in short gasps, but he pushed on, tugging Cas in to shore, the added body weight making it even more difficult to fight the strong undertow.

The first thing Dean did when they were safely out of the water was to take Cas' wrist between his shaky hands, and check for a pulse. "Oh God Cas, I'm sorry..." When Dean listened to Cas' heartbeat, he could hear how alarmingly slow it was.

Deciding he needed to move fast, Dean picked up Cas bridal style and hurried back to his car, only stopping to grab their clothes and his knife on the way. "_He must have swallowed a lot of water..._" Dean thought, feeling overwhelmingly guilty.

It was a challenge to unlock the car while carrying a fully grown man, but somehow Dean managed, and set Cas in the passenger seat. His head lolled to the side, but he stayed upright for the most part.

As he clambered into his own seat and pulled on his leather jacket and jeans, Cas' eyes flickered open. "Oh thank God, you're awake..." Dean muttered, tossing Cas his own clothes and shoving the keys into the ignition hastily. "I'm taking you back to the motel; just try to put on your shirt so you don't freeze to death before we get there." He glanced over at Cas, who was weakly thumbing the demon knife, which had been wrapped within the folds of his shirt. "You okay...?"

It all happened so suddenly, Dean barely had time to react; Cas had taken hold of the blade and launched himself at Dean. It was extremely hard to block Cas' attacks in such a small space, especially as Dean had no weapon of his own. "Cas-!" He shouted, eyes wide. "I'm sorry, I didn't-" He was cut off as the blade was pressed hard onto his neck.

Castiel smirked, his eyes turning blood red. "You don't know how much fun it is to see you squirm away from your own knife..." His voice was cold and sadistic, and he had begun speaking with a mocking lilt. "And it makes this meatsuit all..." He chuckled, moving his face closer to Dean's and inhaled shortly next to his ear. The brief contact of Cas' nose against his jawbone made him shiver. "Well it makes him all squirmy and _uncomfortable_..."

"Kill me and get it over with!" Dean snarled, feeling the blade cutting into his throat as he struggled to get free.

"Why would I? It's fun to watch you suffer. It hurts you to see your precious angel in such a state. Besides, I think I've hit the jackpot; I can just imagine what Abaddon would give me in return for a fallen angel..." He blinked, and his eyes flicked back to their usual striking blue.

Raindrops were hitting the windshield with a renewed intensity. Dean wished he had paid attention to the weather forecast. If he had, of course, he wouldn't have agreed to go out tonight, and they wouldn't even be in this mess. But he had been stupid, only thinking of the promise he had made to Ezekiel. He had thought that if he could teach Cas how to swim before the week ended, they could have killed the demon before Cas was forced to leave again. He stared up at Cas' sneering face. "I don't think you understand who we are."

"I know who you are. I just don't care." The demon scoffed.

Dean continued staring, but this time, his voice rose slightly, and he unintentionally took on a pleading tone. "No, I mean, you don't understand... Cas, I know you're in there. I need you to fight off this son of a bitch; just fight him off and we can take care of it later!"

"Are you brain dead? I'm fucking _possessing_ this angelic dick. He can't do jack shit!" His face was red with anger.

"You also forget," he chuckled darkly, dropping his voice to a low whisper, "He's stronger than a normal human; and he knows how possession works."

All at once, Dean pulled his arms free and scrambled backwards. Cas' hand still held the knife tightly, but the look of terror on his face and his sudden heavy breathing clearly showed that Cas had managed to gain control again. "I can feel him inside of me, Dean... I-I... What do I..." He looked so helpless, huddled up against the far side of the car. "He's so powerful; Dean, I can't hold him...!"

He screamed in pain as he fought the demon back in his mind, his head feeling like it was about to burst. "Dean... Dean you have to kill it...! Don't worry about me, just please-!"

"You can't ask me to do something like that, Cas..!" Dean said frantically, "Just hold it off long enough for so I can exorcise it; can you do that for me...?!"

With a quick nod from Cas, Dean began, "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incurs-"

He was cut off by a kick to the face and another short burst of cold laughter. "That exorcism won't work on me! Try a new one jackass!" Dean could visibly see Cas wrestling the control of his body from the demon again. "Dean you have to do it...! Use the knife...!"

"I can't!" Dean yelled, his voice cracking. Then before he could stop himself, he blurted, "_I don't want to hurt you..._" He felt a lump forming in his throat as he stared helplessly at Cas.

"_Please..._" Cas begged, "Do it quickly... Or I'll have to..." He looked down at the demon knife then back to Dean, and before he could stop him, Cas had plunged the blade deep into his side.

"NO!" Dean yelled, lunging at Cas desperately. He pulled Cas into his arms just as he had yanked the knife out of himself, letting it drop onto the floor. Dean felt slick blood pouring out of the wound, flowing through his fingers. "Shit...! Hey, Cas...!?" He placed his hands on either side of Castiel's head, smearing his cheeks with blood. "I-I'm going to get you to the hospital... Just..."

Cas had passed out again, whether from the sudden extreme blood loss or from his mental and physical exhaustion, Dean wasn't sure, but he knew he had to bind Cas' stab wound immediately. He quickly tore his shirt up into strips lengthwise and tied each one tightly around his torso.

He took hold of Cas' shoulders and shook him. "Come on Cas, you gotta wake up, I need you to put pressure on your stab wound dammit!"

He didn't wake up though, and Dean wouldn't wait around for him to do so. After making sure Cas was still alive, he sped off into town, setting his course for the hospital.


	7. Chapter 7

Cas opened his eyes, the white room around him slowly coming into focus. He looked around, deducing that he was in a hospital room. His field of vision was restricted by the fact that he was to weak to sit up or move around too much yet, but he could just barely see that someone was sitting at the end of his cot. Carefully, Cas shifted himself, just slightly, so that he could get a better look.

Dean was slumped over onto the bed, his breathing quiet and even. He rested his head on his arms, and the sunshine that streamed in through the open window basked him in a warm light. Cas smiled as he realized that Dean had probably been waiting for him to wake up all night.

Cas struggled to look over at the door as he heard it creak open. "Cas, you're awake...!" Sam said quietly, striding over to his bed and pulling up an extra chair.

"Sam..." Cas mumbled, his voice rough from underuse. "So Dean must have told you..."

"He wouldn't say what happened. Just that you stabbed yourself trying to gank that demon... You know, he called right after he brought you here; sounded really upset. Kept saying stuff about how it was his fault... He'd never admit it, but he cares about you, Cas. A _lot_." Sam whispered, looking over at Dean.

"I know."

"And," Sam continued, "I happen to know that it's mutual... What is it with you two that makes it so hard to convey your feelings between each other, but so obvious to everyone else...?"

Cas could feel himself blushing, but he was too tired and full of pain killers to care. "D'you know how long he's been there for...?" He asked, closing his eyes while simultaneously trying not to drift off again.

Sam turned and checked the clock hanging on the wall behind him. "Four and a half hours? It's been about that long since I got here, and he was already asleep by then." Sam crossed his legs, leaning back in the uncomfortable folding chair.

Cas made a noise of acknowledgement, but his hold on consciousness was failing, and the bed just suddenly felt so comfortable... "Tell him he's an idiot for worrying..." He mumbled, his words slurred slightly due to exhaustion.

He knew that Sam had answered, but by then, his senses had been dulled, and he drifted off to sleep, comforted by the thought that for once, someone was watching over _him_.

* * *

It was dark outside when Castiel woke up again. The curtains were closed now, but a dim light, most likely from a street lamp was shining through the gap between them.

"Dean...?" He whispered, craning his neck to see if the hunter still sat at the foot of his bed.

He noticed a piece of paper taped to the frame of his bed and grabbed it, feeling pain shoot through his side as he reached above his head.

_'Cas,' _The note read_, 'Went back to the motel for the night. Be back tomorrow to check on you. Oh, and I left a few things for you on your nightstand too.' _Though it wasn't signed, Cas could tell from the loopy handwriting that it was Sam who had written the note. He reached over and felt around on the small table beside his bed, ending up with two protein bars, a few magazines, and a newspaper. Tabloids tended to confuse him, so Sam had instead picked a few on classic cars. He felt his lips quirk up into a small smile.

Cas had just been about to unwrap a protein bar when he heard movement to his right. He carefully turned himself onto his uninjured side. "Hey Cas." Dean whispered, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey... Why didn't you leave with Sam..?" Cas asked quietly, trying to lift himself into a sitting position. A stabbing pain shot through his left side, and he gave up on his efforts with a wince.

Dean got up from his chair, feeling stiff. He pulled a pillow off of the bed and sat leaning against the nightstand. "I dunno." He looked up at Cas, his eyes catching the dim light. "I just... It's my fault that you're in here in the first place, so..."

"Dean... It's not your fault..." He whispered, his voice wavering.

"It is, Cas. I practically used you as bait..." Dean looked down at his knees. "I'm sorry..." He refused to make eye contact with Cas again, and they sat in a strange mid conversation limbo.

Cas was the first to speak again, his voice soft. "You weren't the one who stabbed me."

"_Exactly_. Cas, I couldn't do it. I had the opportunity to exorcize it, I had the chance to kill it... I had the chance to do _something_, and I couldn't. You had to fucking stick a knife in your side because I... I couldn't..." He trailed off, his eyes still fixed on his lap.

Cas reached for Dean's hand, grasping it tightly and mumbling, "Dean, not everything comes down to choice or chance. I heard what you said in the impala; your refusal to hurt me. That's what made me do it. I did it to kill the son of a bitch, but I also did it so the demon wouldn't have a chance to hurt you. I care about you Dean, and I can't stand to see you blame yourself for every bad thing that happens to your friends. I thought that if I was the one to kill it, you wouldn't take it as hard... Obviously I was wrong, but..."

Dean took Cas' hand between both of his and stared up at him through the darkness. "I don't think I could handle any more of my family dying." He said, his voice barely audible. "Mom and Dad, Ellen, Jo, Bobby... There's been enough death in my life. No matter who or what causes the death, I still blame myself. I blame myself because I... Because I feel like I could have prevented it. Somehow... If I had managed to convince mom never to go into Sam's nursery, if I had just seen that transport truck coming and warned Sam, if I'd killed those hellhounds before they got to Jo, if I'd gone back for Bobby and let Sam bring the van around by himself... I could have saved them..." He brought their hands close to his face, and Cas could feel a tear drop onto his palm.

Cas leaned over the side of the bed and cupped the side of Dean's face with his free hand, capturing his lips in a chaste kiss. "None of it is your fault Dean." He said soothingly, "You didn't know any of that would happen. You can't save everyone." Cas wiped the tears from Dean's cheeks, and placed another kiss on his forehead.

He could feel his stitches pulling, but he ignored the pain for the moment. "Come lie with me... It can't be comfortable sitting on the floor like that."

"You sure...? I mean, I don't mind staying here, I've slept in worse positions than this before. Besides, there's not enough room for both of us..." He was avoiding eye contact with Cas again.

"I'm sure." Cas muttered, moving as close to the edge of the bed as he could without falling off. "Get your ass up here." He closed his eyes and felt the grip Dean had on his hand relinquish.

He held back a smile as he felt Dean crawl into the bed, his elbow pressed up against Cas' stomach. Cas rested his head on Dean's chest, wrapping his left arm around his torso. He could hear the steady beat of Dean's heart, calming, reassuring and just the thing he needed. He inhaled deeply and smiled into Dean's shirt. "Better?"

"Better." Dean chuckled, pressing his nose into Cas' hair.

Admittedly, Cas wasn't even really tired at first, but as soon as Dean had cuddled up next to him, he felt like he could stay in this spot for the rest of his short, mortal life. He felt safe and loved, and he never wanted it to end.

"Can you... Sing to me?" Cas murmured, blush creeping onto his cheeks.

Dean smiled and carefully wrapped his arm around Castiel's back, pulling him closer.

"_Hey Jude... Don't make it bad... Take a sad song, and make it better..."_

The pain from his stab wound faded as he started to drift off, yawning and nuzzling his head into Dean's chest. He knew this had been the song Mary sang to him each night.

"_And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude refrain... Don't carry the world upon your shoulders..._" He started to hum the rest, gradually letting his voice drop, quieter and quieter until he was sure that Cas was asleep. He closed his own eyes and let out a sigh of contentment, giving in to the sweet warmth of his own fallen angel.

* * *

**_A/N: Whoo boy that chapter was fluffy... So how was it you guys...? Satisfying? :3 Thanks to my reviewers again! Chapter 8 will probably be the last one, so if you guys have any suggestions for what I should do for it, send 'em in! :D_**


	8. Chapter 8

Cas was only in the hospital for another few days before he was allowed to leave, with the promise that he wouldn't overexert himself. Cas hadn't done any serious internal damage, but when he had stabbed himself, he twisted the blade, creating a large enough wound that he needed stitches. Overall he had basically just lost a lot of blood and left a gaping hole above his left hip.

As for their night time swimming lessons, they had obviously been postponed, and neither of the two had told Sam what they had really been doing.

"I figured out where the demon was, and I asked Cas to come with me." Dean had tried to explain, "The only reason I asked him to come instead of you was-"

"Because I'm a bitch when I get woken up early; yeah, you've said that already." Sam had interrupted, his tone clearly showing his disinterest. "Look, whatever you two do while I'm not here is your business. Whether you're out getting some random midnight burger, ganking some random-ass demon or screwing each other in the back of the impala... Just try not to get yourselves killed."

Both Cas and Dean had opened their mouths to protest, but Sam raised his hand and said flatly, "I don't want to hear it."

It had been a few hours since then, and Sam had left to go get them food. Neither Cas nor Dean had brought up their intimacy in the hospital room, and they had been avoiding each other, aside from the odd sentence or two commenting on whichever T.V. show happened to be on. They only sat on opposite ends of the couch, but it felt like they were worlds apart. "So Dean..." Cas finally spoke up, "Are we... Would you..." He trailed off, Dean catching a hint of embarrassment in his voice, "It's just, you know, in the hospital-"

"You don't need to get all mushy Cas, I know it was like a bad chick flick. We were both tired and it got a little awkward, that's all." He turned away, staring intently at the horrific, old lady-ish painting of a bouquet of flowers that was hanging on the wall to his left.

"I just wanted to ask if it was going to be a regular thing..." He muttered awkwardly.

Dean's eyes snapped back to Cas, "Do you _want_ it to be a regular thing...?" He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, and finally, he understood his feelings towards Cas.

"Yes." Cas answered firmly, his brows knitting together when Dean said nothing back. "Is that a bad thing? To want that?" He queried, growing more concerned.

In response, Dean wrapped his arms around his angel, pulling Cas close to him. "Not to me." Those three words, though quiet to Dean, were strong and loud to Cas, his ear pressed against Dean's chest.

"Aww!" They had been so distracted by each other, that neither had noticed Sam standing at the door, three takeout containers balanced in his hands. "You finally confessed your love for each other?" He didn't try to hide his amusement as the two scrambled away to opposite ends of the couch again, faces red.

"How... How long have you been standing there...?" Dean asked quietly, leaning back against the sofa casually.

Sam's smirk intensified and he tossed a container to Dean. "Not long enough apparently. Didn't quite catch what it was that Cassie wanted so badly. Care to fill me in?"

"Not a chance." Dean replied around a mouthful of food. He had already begun to dig into his meal without utensils.

Sam's grin grew even wider, and he squished himself between Dean and Cas. "Did'ja want to get your own room? Maybe the honeymoon suite...?" He ruffled Castiel's hair and opened his own take out container, stealing the remote from Dean. "I know how much the two of you love your dramatic T.V. shows. 'Specially you Cas. You were commenting on how attractive Dr. Sexy was the other day right?"

With a strangled cry and red cheeks, Cas smacked Sam's arm. "Sam! Don't tell him that!" He covered his face with his hand and groaned. "If you're smirking right now Dean Winchester, I swear I will slap it right off your face..."

"You like his cowboy boots too, huh?"

"Shut up."

* * *

_**A/N: Sorry guys, I've been incredibly busy... Heres a little chapter to tide you over a bit. I'm having problems coming up with an ending, but I hope you all like this chapter.**_


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